The Other Halves
by PickleFiend
Summary: Endymion is injured and Serenity takes actions to prevent it from happening again. How will the scouts react to their other halves?
1. Stretched Thin

Just for starters, I do not own Sailor Moon. I do however, own this story. Enjoy.

Chapter 1 – Stretched Thin

It had been a long day for everyone. The only thing which could be

worse was it getting longer, which was about to happen. Four women took their respective seats in the large room, each one with their emotions playing clearly across their eyes. The first, the leader with that trademark red bow in her hair, now full of debris and filth had the look of disappointment across her face. The disappointment was internal in this case, although clearly it leaked through to her normally flawless features. She blamed herself for the events of the past few hours. A better leader would have executed actions quicker, been better prepared and not return with several body bags in tow.

The second woman, who sat rather rigidly had fire in her eyes. She

wasn't happy, that was apparent. Replaying the events in her mind

procedures were analyzed and tweaked. The flaws were apparent now and it greatly disappointed the being of premonition and foresight that she couldn't see this coming.

The third woman, the tallest of them all was the most calm. Over time

she learned to turn herself off when death approached. Perhaps it was in result of a lifetime past, however mentally she was already planning

her next training event in which she hoped would offer different results should the occasion rise yet again. In the past she would have been more furious than any of the other three. If there was one thing she learned over time it was anger and rage did nothing but get in the way.

The fourth and final woman sat quietly and neatly. The thought process

of the aqua-haired woman was so magnificent at the time, you could walk by her and feel the energy. Statistics were her specialty in battle

and they failed her this time. Certainly one would find her late the

coming evening in the library studying and extensively testing herself.

Failure was not an option for any of the four, but she took it personally.

No matter how they all looked and collectively felt, none could be

measured against that of their queen, who had been absent until now. As she entered quickly and quietly gown flowing behind, the women rose and bowed their heads. It was customary in the presence of their queen,

however this time around it was more in guilt, or in a few cases anger.

"Well, at least you're all well enough to be present." Serenity looked

at her soldiers, although the usual tone of playfulness was missing,

leaving her to be quite serious.

"Serenity what happened earlier..."

Blue eyes rose to meet blue eyes, though cold.

"Quiet, Sailor Venus. This is a briefing, not a Q and A session."

The voice boomed throughout the room, echoing in everyone's ears. Once

she was satisfied there would no longer be any interruptions, Serenity

took her seat which was lifted few inches from the floor giving the

desired effect of royalty and respect. The four women continued to stand with their heads bowed, their shadows cast upon each other as the sun was beginning to set. Serenity looked to her left, glancing at her

husband's throne, which was empty. Touching the arm of the chair gently with her fingertips, Serenity's gesture nearly brought everyone to their knees. Instead, they settled for slumped shoulders and in some cases, clenched fists.

"What happened today...was nothing short of a disaster. Four lives were

lost, which in turn will change four families forever. Let us all be

thankful that number isn't five..."

Serenity's throat suddenly developed a lump causing her to stop

speaking. The man who had been missing from the throne room was being held in the infirmary of the crystal palace, his wounds being tended to by the best physicians, second only to Sailor Mercury herself. He had been injured in the attack.

**Flashback - Earlier that day...**

"The perimeter is secure and security sweeps are still in progress.

Everything looks good so far."

Sailor Mars eyed the man who continued to provide her with details of

the security aspect of the day. It was an impulse decision of the king

and queen to walk through the city to visit several shops and take a

late lunch at a local bistro. For the time, however, the couple chose to split and go into separate shops, Serenity followed by an undercover

Sailor Jupiter and Endymion by three agents, two who were already present inside and one following behind. These impulse decisions which came a few times a month helped the people of Crystal Tokyo connect with the royal family and the scouts. It showed they didn't see themselves as above the rest seeing as how the food, clothing, entertainment and culture was good enough for them. It was a peaceful time; however there were instances of crime and violence. As fate would have it, one of the instances would impact not only several security force members, but the royal family itself.

"...and we've secured the eatery with hidden agents as well."

"Very good. Let's keep on our toes though, shall we? Just because we've

been perfect so far let's not lose sight and potentially miss

something."

As if Sailor Mars were casting a spell upon the current events, at the

precise moment there was a scream and a sudden commotion of people

outside the building Sailor Mars was in. Without a hesitation she was out the door and rushing to the area the scream came from. The sight was horrifying. Endymion lay on the ground, head on Serenity's lap as his hand covered a darkened area of the suit he wore. Blood pooled around the stab wound, although it was a gentle trickle. As quickly as Mars had arrives, Mercury did so as well, moving to the royals' side quickly.

"We need to get him to the infirmary. The wound isn't deep but he

needs medical attention and tests immediately."

Mercury looked toward Sailor Venus who had just arrived.

"I need the weapon to for examination."

Without a single word Sailor Venus nodded and glanced toward Jupiter

and Mars. As soon as the king, queen and Mercury transported back to the palace ground via emergency transponder Mercury had developed and been testing for several years, the three remaining women went in different directions in search of the man who dared take a knife to the king.

In no more than a few hours the highly-trained scouts had found the

would-be assassin. Unfortunately, he had taken the lives of three agents who attempted to stop him. It was Sailor Venus who took him down wrestling him to the ground and the weapon from his hand.

**Present Time**

Serenity stood suddenly, a new determination burning in her eyes. She

looked upon each of the soldiers who had given their lives for her in

the past, her friends who in time turned into her sisters. She felt their collective pain. The scouts never enjoyed losing innocent lives and now that their job of protecting the royal family was against other

humans, their tactics changed to preserve every life possible. Stepping down toward them, four pairs of eyes rose to meet her own.

"This has been a difficult and trying day for us all. I feel the task

of protecting both the king and I is stretching you thin. I have been

considering other options and will discuss this with Endymion once he's

feeling up to it. Until then there will be no outings for myself or any of you. Should you need something you cannot acquire here use a third party."

The queen took steps toward the exit before abruptly stopping, directly

beside Sailor Venus.

"This is not your fault. Don't condemn yourselves for something you had

no control over."

The door closed.

"I should get to the infirmary. There are additional tests I need to

run."

Sailor Mercury relieved herself of the transformation at that point and

went on her way while the three remaining women stood in silence for a

few minutes before Sailor Mars stood forward.

"I will be in the security center. I'd like to piece a few things

together before I hand over my official report to you, Venus."

The door closed for the third time leaving a quiet Sailor Venus and

Sailor Jupiter.

"She's right. It isn't our fault, but I still can't help but feel

responsible. We should have been able to stop him before any of it happened.

Lives were lost today and..."

"Sailor Jupiter. I think we need to figure out what went wrong, remedy

the situation as best as we can and move on. If we let this eat us up

we'll be no good in the future and that could potentially cost us more civilian lives, or even worse the lives of the king, queen or our own."

Sailor Venus could see the difference in Jupiter's eyes. The gentle pep

talk was enough to snap her out of the current mode she was in. As the

leader of the group, it was her job to keep morale high and spirits

strong, even when her own weren't so optimistic. It was never a job she

regretted having, except for the few times Venus felt she needed her own jolt. Ever the leader, Venus put on the best sincere smile she could muster and placed a somewhat dirty gloved hand upon her friend's

shoulder.

"We should get some rest, hm? There will be much to do in the coming

days and I know I'll need you at full strength. Now go take some time for yourself to clear your mind."

- - -

So there it is, Chapter 1. I hope you enjoyed it. Leave me some feedback if you will, letting me know how what you think about it. I already have the next three chapters written up, so if they haven't been posted yet they will be soon.


	2. Surprises

As it turned out the additional changes to format and a few other things weren't saved to Chapter 1, so it'll just throw everything in here. First and foremost I do not own Sailor Moon, but only this story. Second, I didn't mention much about Endymion in the first chapter so he gets a bit more here. I'm trying not to sway toward a certain character(Mars mostly) so the story stays even, but I'm sure at some point I'll be unable to resist. We'll see what happens. Chapter 3 is ready to go so it'll be up in a few days. Enjoy.

**Chapter 2 – Surprises**

"Usako."

The head held in between two tensed slightly, squeezing the more slender. For the first time since the attack the previous day, blue eyes once again met blue eyes. Endymion shifted in the bed he was forced to occupy in the medical facility. He felt exhausted and a slight wave of nausea kicked in, all of which were the side-effects of the medication Sailor Mercury had administered.

"I pray this is the last time I'm forced to be here for my own health. Even in my studies of the past life, it's a different would being the one pokes and prodded with needles."

He groaned and attempted to move around, even with the soreness he felt in his abdomen from the stabbing. Endymion pushed the blanket he was wrapped in down somewhat, grabbed at his shirt and lifted it upward. Just below his ribcage was a large black, purple and blue bruise. Center of that was a deep red line, rather thin and an inch long. The man was rather lucky the knife was stopped before any serious internal damage could be done. The bleeding was superficial and minimal for the attack type. With the medical technology available at the time, Mercury had done a perfect job of closing the wound, which would leave no scar. Instead, he would simply be sore for a week or so before all physical evidence disappeared. At that point it was decided in Endymion's mind he wouldn't attempt that maneuver again. Laying back against the somewhat comfortable medical bed, the king sighed heavily as the recent events flooded into his mind. His lips parted, squeezing Serenity's hand while he spoke just barely above a whisper toward her.

"How many?"

Serenity hesitated for a moment. Looking at the floor, she finally spoke.

"Three. Four if you count the criminal."

The eyes of a king closed for a moment in partial prayer for the souls of the lost, but also in regret for the events of that faithful day.

"Don't be too hard on the girls, Usako. It isn't their job to protect me and by doing so they're stretched thin. It was only a matter of time until something happened, and unfortunately it came sooner and harder than any of us expected. It may be time to consider our options, even if it means going to the one we find to be the last resort."

Endymion looked toward his wife. She knew exactly what he meant, for she had the same thoughts herself. Serenity also knew they would have to act quickly, quietly and beneath the radar of the scouts. Serenity finally nodded in agreement.

**A Few Days Later**

"Sailor Venus, Queen Serenity has requested and required the presence of the sailor scouts in the throne room in one hour. The queen also requests all sailors to be in full uniform."

The guard bowed toward the woman and took his leave from the room Venus was alone in. Serenity had something up her sleeve and it would undoubtedly concerning the attack. There wouldn't be much time to speculation as she would make a visit to each of the other three women to personally inform them of the required gathering. There wasn't much time to hunt each of them. Venus would have to move quickly, which would also put the scouts in the same position she was in. It was looking to be this time around they wouldn't know what their queen had planned for them.

**One Hour Later**

The door opened to the large and nearly empty throne room, with the exception of the king and queen standing by one of the many windows, speaking to one another quietly. As the door closed behind the four women dressed in full sailor fuku, it was then the king and queen turned to greet them.

"Ah, ladies!" Welcome and thank you for cooperation with this late notice appearance. Serenity and I have gathered you today for a rather important reason as you all have probably discovered by now."

The couple moved toward a specific section of the room in unison, somewhat slower than usual due to Endymion's wound. About ten feet behind them were double doors which were considered the west entrance. Two men stood by, one at each end of the door. Serenity spoke next.

"I want to apologize to each of you if I was harsh in any way, or seemed unfair. The day's events caused me to lose my temper with the situation and my vision was clouded. There was no reason for me to act toward you the way I did. I hope you can forgive me, even for what I may or may not do."

Four pairs of eyes looked toward their queen, followed by one set of legs stepping forward and a single Venusian's voice speaking clearly.

"My Queen, if I may speak for the others present, there is no hostility between any present parties. In fact, it has been the mission of the scouts to prevent such an unfortunate series of events from transpiring ever again and-.."

Venus was quieted as Serenity lifted her hand. It seemed to have become a slight habit for the woman to begin speaking, only to be silenced by Serenity.

"I feel we are all on equal ground with that subject. Now, the reason why I have asked you all to gather is a change in procedure. Memorial services will be held for each of the fallen, as well as the individual responsible for their deaths. Endymion and I have discussed and agreed to be present at each one."

Serenity could already see the curiosity and confusion in the women's eyes. Before they could begin with their barrage of questions, she continued.

"Your job will be to ensure my security, but be representatives as well. You will greet the families as Endymion and I will. For the duration of the ceremonies and events which follow after, you will correspond with your security teams; although I ask you make that correspondence as minimal as possible out of respect."

"With all due respect my Queen, isn't it far too early to be leaving the safeguards of the palace? And should we go, who will protect the king? In my opinion, this isn't the-…"

Once again, Venus was cut off by a lifted hand. Had it been any other person Venus may have become slightly irritated by this point. However, if there was one thing the scouts had learned in the years past, it was never to question or second-guess their queen in such serious times. They trusted her judgment completely, even if they didn't agree with it at times.

"This is why I summoned you here. The king and I came to a conclusion several days ago about his personal protection and we have brought you here to see the end result of such a decision. Know that we struggled with this for some time and even before the recent events transpired. It was kept as a last resort. However, we see that the potential of positives from this decision are much greater than the possibility of negative results."

With that said, Endymion turned toward the west entrance and nodded to the men who then bowed and began to open the doors. It was at that point four men walked into the room, each wearing the same uniform as the others, although they had changed. The color was now black with accents along the cuffs and shoulder-cape they were. The colors of the accents varied from gold for the first man, red for the second, green for the third and deep blue for the fourth. Their black boots, which had the appearance of riding boots due to their shine and knee-high length which their trousers were tucked into clicked along the floor they walked upon. They strode forward and aligned as the scouts were, in order of rank. The men stood ten feet away from the scouts. The room was silent, but collectively four jaws dropped to the floor and eyes nearly bulged out from their sockets. Endymion and Serenity positioned themselves at that point by the two leaders.

"Sailors Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Mercury, meet your counterparts of the Order of His Majesty's Protection. Kunzite, Jadei-…"

"SON OF A BITCH!"

Suddenly for the second in command, the world went dark.

. . .

Well I hope that was as fun for you to read as it was to write, especially that last part. Let me know what you think!


	3. Adjustments

Well here it is! Sorry it took a little longer than usual to update, but the Thanksgiving holiday and a few other life things fell in front of me I had to take care of. Anyway, the tone of this chapter is lighter because everyone isn't so serious all the time, plus it can get boring to read after a while. Enjoy.

**Chapter 3**

There were voices in the background, although their words were still fuzzy. Jadeite was able to make out only a few as he groaned and slowly opened his eyes. When he was finally able to focus his sight he noticed Kunzite, Endymion and Serenity standing beside him all focusing their attention toward him.

"What…what happened? I feel like I was hit by a train."

Another groan came about from the man who was now in the infirmary with a rather large amount of bandaging around his head and one major black eye forming rather quickly. He tried sitting up for a moment, but was quickly met with a wave of nausea sending him back down to a parallel position with his bed.

"That train has a name, Jadeite; it's called Sailor Mars. I suppose I should be thankful she didn't come after me once she was done with you."

Serenity spoke softly with a concerned smile playing at her lips.

Suddenly for Jadeite the events of twenty minutes ago were apparent. Before any formalities could be carried through Sailor Mars lunged forward and displayed a vision of a perfect attack with one's elbow connecting to the target's temporal lobe and eye socket. It wasn't meant to be a deathblow, simply render one unconscious which is exactly what transpired.

"I should have known she would do something like that. That woman can hold a grudge for eternity. She isn't here with us…is she?"

Jadeite nearly capsized from his bed as he grabbed at the edges like a mad man, readying himself to flee should he need to.

"Relax, Jadeite. Gain your strength; you'll be needing it in the days to come. We are to be briefed and ready for an outing in two days time. Until then, you'll just have to deal with the headaches."

The man simply closed his eyes and sighed heavily. The days ahead were certainly going to test his ability to defend himself.

**One Hour Later – Mars' Private Fire Room**

A door slid open and closed quietly. The figure stood and looked toward the woman who sat before the fire in priestess garb.

"Rei, we need to talk. I wouldn't be interrupting you if it weren't important."

A sigh came, followed by dark eyes looking into a pair of blue. Standing to meet the gaze of her longest friend, Rei shook her head and crossed her arms. In general palace areas and more importantly in public, Serenity and the scouts kept a level of professionalism and royalty. However, in private they were the greatest of friends and referred to each other as such. They didn't have to bother with protocol which also allowed them to speak openly with each other.

"I knew you were capable of many things, Usagi, but this is really far from anything I ever expected. I can't stand here and question your motives; I admit they are our equal counterparts for Mamoru and just as good of protection for him as we are for you. The fact of past events, even with consideration of the circumstances at the time simply cannot justify their actions against us not only during the Moon Kingdom, but also when we were reborn! How can they reassure us they simply won't allow themselves to be taken over again?"

Rei leaned against a wall, arms crossed. The fire seemed to roar with every word she spoke with emphasis and emotion. It was obvious she was conflicted about the actions of her friends.

"They were all revived with full memory and knowledge of the past. This way they can learn from their mistakes of the past and correct them for the future. There simply isn't anyone better to protect Mamoru and even if it causes some discomfort for the time being I am willing to suffer the consequences. I understand how you feel about this, but I just have to ask that you as well as the others give it a chance. I have faith this can work. Besides, it isn't as if I'm asking you to fall in love with the man! After that showing I wouldn't want to love you either."

Rei sighed and nodded softly as Serenity held her own giggle back. It was clear she would have to rely heavily on her meditation to help her through the upcoming days.

"And Rei…"

"Hm?"

"Try not to knock out Jadeite every chance you get. We need him alive and with eyesight he can actually use. Perhaps its time we invest technology in fully-functional holograms."

Serenity frowned for a minute before continuing.

"It would have surely saved me a few headaches in the old days."

There was a gentle roll of the eyes and a soft not once again. The coming days were going to be very long and painful.

**Dinner That Evening – Main Dining Room**

"Everyone, please be seated. Tonight is a special night and we will honor it with a feast fit for the occasion. However, before we begin our celebration, Endymion and I would like to be sure we are all on equal ground. If we are all to function properly as a team, we must actually be a team first. I would encourage you all to converse and get to know one another again. Let us not focus on the past, but make amends for the present so that we may plan for the future."

Serenity sat at her end of the 10-seat table and motioned for the dinner to be laid out and served. Endymion smiled toward his wife and gave her a gentle nod, supportive of her every word. He knew their actions were required, although in the back of his head he couldn't help but hope everyone would grow to be more than a team; he hoped they would become friends.

Beside Endymion sat Kunzite, followed by a bruised Jadeite, Nephrite and Zoicite, who was seated closed to Serenity. Across from the table sat Minako, closest to the queen, Mars, Jupiter then Mercury. Rank was still followed and each first in rank sat nearest to their protective charge. This alignment also allowed the scouts, namely Mars, not to be faced directly with the person they felt the most hostility toward. It seemed to work as chatter slowly began. They spoke of the food at first, how delicious it was. After that, the level of discomfort and hostility slowly began to drop as the generals regarded the senshi on their work of Crystal Tokyo. Truly, they were impressed with their efforts and commended them for it.

"Perhaps…" Zoicite quietly spoke to Minako, "…this will all work out. At least for the sake of our king."

Minako took a drink of her wine and held the crystal goblet in between her delicate fingers before responding.

"And for the sake of all parties present, I hope so as well."

**Endymion's Private Study – After Dinner**

Four men collectively took seats on two separate couches facing each other as the fifth went to the liquor cart off in a corner to gather an ice pack for his still-blackened eye.

"One of you has to pay her back for me."

The four men laughed at Jadeite's remark as he sat down in a chair holding the frozen pack to his eye and groaned as he had been doing every so often since he woke with a blistering headache.

"I can honestly tell you Jadeite, she's even more spirited than before; they all are. This brings me to the reason I've asked you all here tonight for a post-dinner meeting."

Endymion looked at each of the men who were his formal generals. They were still on a temporary basis until they could each prove their will and ability was strong enough to not only protect their king, but choose to.

"I won't lie to the four of you when I say I am thankful to have you all here. Living and operating with mainly women can be rather…well drowning in the estrogen ocean."

Endymion chuckled with the others in jest, nodding his head gently as he continued.

"In all seriousness, the end decision is mine. Serenity and I came to the conclusion before your revivals that you would train and study alongside the scouts where they would then report back to me once I am to make my decision. I will take their input seriously…"

Endymion glanced toward Jadeite and even though his comment was made for the public, it was strongly gestured toward him.

"…and they will be fair. However, if things are as they were before the darkness of the times, I have no doubt in my mind you will all succeed. So, let us consider this your unofficial welcome back for the time being."

With that, Endymion and the others stood and moved toward the liquor rack where Jadeite had been previously to fix a drink to toast each other. Endymion never cared to drink unless the occasion called for it, and this certainly passed for one in his mind.

"To the future and what interesting times it may bring."

"Yes, here is to second chances!"

Kunzite spoke as he looked around from each of his counterparts then to Endymion.

"…and less bruises!"

"I'll toast to that…the future that is. I think Jadeite could use a few more knock-outs."

"You'll toast to nearly anything, Nephrite"

Zoicite patted his friend's shoulder as they each raised their glasses and took a drink of the golden-brown liquid.

. . .

Comments, questions? Even though the chapters have been pre-written to publication I have gone back to edit and add in things people have thus-far pointed out to me, while keeping the storyline intact as I see fit. I've only got one more chapter ready to go so hopefully soon I'll start on the fifth as to not keep anyone waiting.


	4. Conversations

Well, this chapter has certainly taken me some time to upload. My apologies, I blame the holidays. This chapter is quite longer than the previous, only because what I felt needed to be included made for greater length. Enjoy.

**Chapter 4 **

"Ami, open up!"

The air was cool, the moon was high and the palace was silent. Not too long after five men toasted each other and called it a night, five women woke from their plush beds and rose to gather together as they did every so often. The first to arrive at the doors of the blue-headed woman's chambers was the tallest, and sometimes loudest of the bunch.

"You didn't fall asleep, did you? Don't worry, once everyone gets here it'll be the same as always – little sleep, and far too much to eat and gossip about."

Makoto shrugged as she closed the door behind her leaving it unlocked. Turning into the room, she passed by the large desk which was entirely too organized, a single book lying shut in the middle. Leaning over to read the title, Makoto's eyebrows rose in slight interest. Ami never went more than a day or two at most without a book to read, no matter the subject. There were times when the material came in handy, but overall it was for her own pleasure.

"Of course I wasn't asleep. I wouldn't want to chance you kicking the door down. That would be the last thing we need, especially with _them_ sleeping in the same area."

Remembering the dramatic fashion in which Makoto had allowed herself entrance into Rei's bedroom the one time she happened to be away gathering a few snacks for everyone, Ami chuckled to herself and shook her head. It had been years since they were young girls, but periodically their girl-like tendencies got the better of them and came pouring out; of course only during their private and personal hours. The late "meetings" they took were actually just the five of them being able to act and speak however they pleased without worrying about the staff or members of Crystal Tokyo overhearing them. Of course, sometimes they were a little too loud, or took their adventures into the gardens where they had been witnessed a few times horsing around and acting rather unlady-like. Naturally this spawned gentle rumors, but the image portrayed upon them only seemed to help as to the regular members of Crystal Tokyo portrayed them as being normal as they were themselves.

There was a knock at the door followed by a gentle turn of the knob. Minako poked her head in and upon seeing the two women already present opened the door for the remainder of the three to enter.

"Hey Ami, Mako-chan. I see you two are already getting started. I caught these two in the hallway and pulled them along before anything started up like last time…"

Minako gestured over her shoulder to both women behind her and shrugged before walking into the room and tossing herself onto the bed. No matter how many battles and enemies they came upon Minako would always have a playful spirit.

"It wouldn't have been my fault…this time. I was waiting for Usagi to finish her moment with Mamoru, but we've all been privileged to know how long _that_ can take."

Rolling her eyes, Rei closed the door behind her and made her way toward the area where Ami had set up a few snacks and tea to pour herself a cup.

"When you find the love of your life, you'll understand what being apart is, even if for only a day. They don't call it a soul mate for nothing."

Usagi defended herself enough to quiet any other "love isn't always the way" speeches from Rei. Truly the scouts had their moments with partners from the opposite sex, yet they never bonded enough to further those relationships. They weren't doomed to the big crystal castle, destined to be only guardians for eternity. All four women had lives of their own and led them as they saw fit. It just so happened that none of them had found a person they considered a pure equal, and vice versa. There were still some occasions where men were still threatened by powerful women. It may have been a time of peace and prosperity, but not every issue had been resolved.

The night went on for hours until the sun began to peak above the horizon. The chit-chat, giggles, teases, and serious discussions outlasted the tea and snacks. It was time for everyone to head back to their own chambers and begin their days. Staying behind to help clean up, Rei hugged her friend before she left, thanking her for the hospitality.

Walking down the hallways with sunlight beginning to fill them was something Rei always enjoyed. It was a reminder of the past life where she would wake at dawn to tend to her temple chores. This time of day was the most pleasing and relaxing for the fire woman; it brought her spirit to be level with her body and mind, preparing for the day ahead whatever the events it held. Taking the final turn to the hallway which would lead to her private chambers, she noticed a man kneeling at the ground attempting to slide something either beneath her door, or in-between them. Speeding her pace, yet keeping quiet Rei approached the man from behind, crossing her arms as she finally came upon him.

"What are you doing?"

The words were spoken loud enough to cause a gentle echo, yet only be heard by the two of them. A shaken man who was caught off guard, yet again, panicked for a second, lost all train of thought and jerked suddenly. The rash movement of being caught off guard sent his head right into the door, causing a "thud".

A moan, a groan, then from kneeling on one knee facing the door, Jadeite turned and leaned his back against that same door, holding his head.

"What the hell! What are you trying to do to me!?"

"I think the better question is what are YOU doing?"

"Nothing. I just thought…I just wanted to try and say-…"

"Say what? Please don't kick me in the ass if I'm bent over by your door!"

"No. Why can't you be like the others and just ignore me until you absolutely have to speak to or see me?"

"You're the one coming to my door, remember?"

"Are you trying to kill me?"

"Like you did me?"

"…that was a long time ago, Rei."

An eyebrow rose, arms remaining crossed. Jadeite could feel the heat radiating off of the woman as it was apparent she wasn't getting any calmer with his presence.

"What you did, no matter how long ago, _Jadeite_…", the way she said his name caused worse pain than the bruising, headaches and newly-formed bump on his head had all combined, "…is something you have yet to apologize for. It is something you have yet to redeem yourself from. And it is absolutely something in which I cannot see now, nor in the future forgiving you of."

She didn't need to say anything else. The pent-up frustration since the revival was finally unleashed. Rei had said her peace and had every intention of carrying out her orders to train, teach and observe the generals on a one-on-one basis, as well as group activities no matter how painful the process was. Jadeite didn't speak, but simply stepped out of the way and turned on his heel to make his way back to his room. Rei watched him, boring holes into the back of his skull. Stepping into her chambers, she bent down and took the blank envelope between her fingers and promptly stepped toward her desk to toss the sealed letter onto it for a later time.

**Post-Breakfast**

Venus stood in the training area across a small table from Kunzite who stood in full uniform. Diagrams laid out across the table, the two were discussing strategy for possible attacks against both Serenity and Endymion at the funeral services which were being held two days from that point. Periodically Venus would catch Kunzite staring at her. Ignoring the man, she went back to work and educated him on procedures which were a need-to-know basis. Sailor Venus was under orders to brief the Generals, however she wasn't about to give them every piece of information which were most important. Should the Generals choose to betray the Sailors for whatever reason this time, the Scouts would still hold a vast amount of information the four men simply weren't privy to which would undoubtedly alter the outcome from how it came to be the first time.

"…and should there be an attack en route, we will direct Serenity and Endymion to the southern edge of the palace along these routes."

Venus pointed a gloved hand along a few back streets along a map she pulled put from the bottom of the growing pile. Kunzite took the opportunity to question the route and extended his own gloves hand toward the area Venus showed him. As if she were expecting him to stop and wait for her hand to move, his own finger came into contact with hers, causing a slight jolt of energy to arise within the both of them.

"Wouldn't this route be more direct? It would also allow for more alternatives should we need to deviate due to circumstances."

Kunzite could always keep a cool face, especially when it was work-related. He not only felt the jolt from his accidental touch, his body released quite a bit of adrenaline into his system, causing his heart beat to skyrocket. He hadn't planned on the small action, but if they were going to work around each other it was inevitable at some point physical interactions would have to be made under circumstances. Kunzite was simply worried about how Venus would react even though his intentions were purely professional. Regardless of the fact, he was still working and couldn't allow anything insignificant to sway his view.

"No, that area is currently under construction and wouldn't be too favorable due to the high-rise buildings. We will continue along the pre-planned routes unless the need to alter the route should arise."

Venus countered, giving off the idea she either hadn't noticed, or simply didn't care about the accidental touch. In truth, her body followed the same actions as Kunzite's. She only trusted him to the point she absolutely had to considering she was under orders. That didn't stop her from keeping that much more of an eye and ear on the Generals.

Across the palace, Sailor Mercury stood in a medical laboratory with a quiet Zoicite standing beside her as she lectured about biological weapons and their defenses against them. Before them stood a touch screen table completely filled with several digital folders of research and microscopic images Mercury was handling with ease.

"Luckily scientists have kept their experiments and other workings at such at a top-notch rate, we have been able to stay ahead of the threats which periodically arise."

"I would also assume the technology is on your side."

Zoicite marveled at the piece of technology before him as he moved a few folders around, pinch-cropping documents and tossing them to the other side of the table. Sailor Mercury stood watching the man play with her own personal favorite piece of the surrounding techno-gadgets, studying him before she chose to speak.

"We've avoided virtually every threat to come at us. However, perfection is something we cannot always achieve even though we strive for it."

Zoicite kept his words calm while forcing his eyes to stay on the documents before him.

"Should this union work between us all, it would seem the statistics of probable failure would decrease substantially."

"Indeed…yet _we_ must still account for anomalies."

To someone passing by, or any other not quite as versed as the two, it would seem they were having a simple conversation. However, inside that room by Mercury's favorite toy stood a fourth of the anomaly she spoke of, and Zoicite knew it.

"This is the armory, as you can see. We rarely need to use any such weapons since we can defend ourselves and others easily enough, but nonetheless its still a good idea to keep up with it all. You never know when you're going to meet someone skilled with the sword."

As she finished speaking, Sailor Jupiter held out a sheathed sword toward Nephlite, holding one similar in her own hand.

"I believe this is adequate."

Nephlite looked from the weapon back toward the woman before him. His left eyebrow lifted as he continued to stand as he was, arms at his sides.

"What is this?"

"This is something I like to call a rematch. I don't intend on walking around the palace brooding over your presence. I would prefer to get this over with now."

Jupiter threw the sword to the ground as she turned her back toward Nephlite and took a few steps away from him.

"Once you attempted to kill me, and you succeeded. This time, I will attempt to kill you. Should I succeed, you're obviously not fit to protect Endymion. Pick up the sword, Nephlite. I'm at least giving you the courtesy of pre-determined thoughts unlike you did for me."

With that, Jupiter quickly turned and swung her right arm outward as the sheath she had unlocked while she was speaking flew out toward Nephlite who was already bent down. The sheath managed to catch him in the shoulder of his left arm, which thankfully for him was not the dominant. Sailor Jupiter came for a fight and had every intention of pinning her target to the ground, blade at his throat. Nephlite knew Jupiter was serious, although what he didn't know was the method behind the madness was a test of competence.

Previously that morning when the women were gathered together, they decided to push the Generals to their limits one way or another. Having discussed it, this was the only way to discovered if they were genuine about their places in Crystal Tokyo. The tests were invasive and could be considered as mind games, although with the time constraints in place, there was no other way to determine what they all needed to know.

**Post-Dinner**

Four men sat in the large dining hall, long after it had been cleaned of food and cleared of people. All silent, each one of them contemplated the day they had. It was a chance for the Scouts to have one-on-one time with each General as they rotated their time as the day progressed until a late dinner was to be had, then preparation for the following day.

"This isn't how I imagined it. If you asked me when this all began how the days would play out, it wouldn't be spending the majority of my time in the infirmary for being knocked out, almost putting my head through a very thick wooden door and then almost being killed on top of it all."

"Calm yourself, Jadeite. She tried to kill all of us. Stop whining and focus on the task at hand. Did you honestly expect them to simply open their arms and accept us back? They're testing us because they don't have a single shred of trust in us."

Nephlite lifted a leg to cross it over the other. Halfway through his battle of revenge with Sailor Jupiter, he finally realized what she was doing. If she had cared to gut him as she pleased, he would have been dead long ago.

"I agree. Between the four of them, there wouldn't be a way to hide our intentions, if any at all were malicious. We just need to continue on as we have been and show our nature is indeed as we said it was. They will come to the middle in time; we just have to keep pushing ourselves until they do."

"Kunzite is right. Now, I would suggest we get some rest for tomorrow. This is the final day before the Scouts give their evaluations to Endymion and we need nothing less than perfection. If anyone should need me, I will be in my chambers."

Zoicite was the first to leave the group, likely off to his stated destination to prepare for the following day. After that, each man left the dining hall and proceeded to do what they thought necessary to accomplish what they had set out to do. Their dedication and strength would see them through the next day and finally to the time when Endymion would make his final decision.

. . .

I will begin the next chapter very soon and hopefully have it up in no more than a week. Let me know what you think! I appreciate all feedback I can get, which helps me write a better story for you, the readers. =)


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